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Russians cancel Czechs
By Zack Van Eyck
Deseret News Olympic specialist
PROVO — It was Nikolai Khabibulin against Dominik Hasek, but at times it seemed like Nikolai Khabibulin against the world.
Aided by his loyal Russian defensemen, Khabibulin survived an onslaught by the Czech Republic here Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic hockey tournament.
The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender came into the game having allowed nine goals on 87 shots in three Olympic contests. But he stopped all 41 shots the Czechs slapped, flipped and hammered at him as the Russians held on for a 1-0 victory to eliminate the defending gold medalists from the tournament.
"I felt a lot better today," Khabibulin said after avenging Russia's 1-0 loss to the Czech Republic in the gold-medal game of the '98 Games. "I was able to stop a couple shots early on, and I kind of got wound up, and I felt good from that point on."
The Czechs launched seven shots at him in the first six minutes — before the Russians managed one of their own — and enjoyed a 5-on-3 advantage on two occasions. Khabibulin kept the rebounds to a minimum, and the pucks that did pop loose were quickly cleared.
The last five minutes, he said, were the toughest — the last minute in particular. The Czechs brought everything they had, creating several decent scoring chances as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"As a person, he's a fighter. As a fighter, he is never satisfied," Russian coach Viacheslav Fetisov said of his goalie. "With the type of game he had tonight, I have no question about our goalkeeping."
Hasek, a Detroit Red Wing who led the Czechs to gold four years ago, had 26 saves. And the one that got past him, he barely saw.
The Russian goal came on a bang-bang play five minutes into the second period that started with Andrei Nikolishin winning a face-off in the offensive zone. Vladimir Malakhov took a slap shot off Nikolishin's pass.
The puck bounced off a player and presented itself to Maxim Afinogenov, who was positioned in the slot. He slapped it between the legs of Czech defenseman Tomas Kaberle, who inadvertently screened Hasek on the play.
"I couldn't see the puck when he was shooting," Hasek said. "It was probably a lucky bounce, but that is what happens in a game like this. I think it was a great battle."
E-mail: zman@desnews.com
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February 21, 2002
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